I'll be green for Christmas

Let’s not only be green when summer’s here but also during the most wonderful time of the year.

The anticipation was over, the gifts all opened, and nothing left to do except take it all in. Even when I was little, it was one of my favorite moments of Christmas. I'd sit with my loot sorted next to me and survey the living room while peeling the customary orange from my stocking. Red, green, and patterned wrapping paper covered the floor, and the cats, high on new catnip, would be attacking a bow under the tree.

I'll be green for Christmas

Let’s not only be green when summer’s here but also during the most wonderful time of the year.

The anticipation was over, the gifts all opened, and nothing left to do except take it all in. Even when I was little, it was one of my favorite moments of Christmas. I'd sit with my loot sorted next to me and survey the living room while peeling the customary orange from my stocking. Red, green, and patterned wrapping paper covered the floor, and the cats, high on new catnip, would be attacking a bow under the tree.

Think outside the box: Being green at the end of life

Editors' note: Sounding Board is one person’s take on a many-sided subject and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.

Joe Sehee is executive director of the Green Burial Council (greenburialcouncil.org), a former Jesuit lay minister and spiritual director, and a senior fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program.

Think outside the box: Being green at the end of life

Editors' note: Sounding Board is one person’s take on a many-sided subject and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.

Joe Sehee is executive director of the Green Burial Council (greenburialcouncil.org), a former Jesuit lay minister and spiritual director, and a senior fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program.

Urban planting: Turning blight into bounty in the inner city

Armed with soil and seeds, Catholics in blighted cities are taking social justice into their own hands.

In Camden, New Jersey a jumble of railroad tracks, freeways, and abandoned factories lace through the Waterfront South area on the Delaware River just across from Philadelphia. During heavy rains, a nearby wastewater treatment plant frequently leaks raw sewage onto the streets.

Olga Bonfiglio is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and lamancha goat handler at a small dairy farm in southwestern Michigan. She blogs at olgabonfiglio.blogspot.com.

Parish resources for growing a community garden

Practical, hands-on actions are the best way for individuals and faith communities to put their faith into action, says the Michigan Catholic Rural Life Coalition (MCLRC). Here’s how they say to get involved and get growing.

Parish Farmer’s Market:

Olga Bonfiglio is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and lamancha goat handler at a small dairy farm in southwestern Michigan. She blogs at olgabonfiglio.blogspot.com.

Urban planting: Turning blight into bounty in the inner city

Armed with soil and seeds, Catholics in blighted cities are taking social justice into their own hands.

In Camden, New Jersey a jumble of railroad tracks, freeways, and abandoned factories lace through the Waterfront South area on the Delaware River just across from Philadelphia. During heavy rains, a nearby wastewater treatment plant frequently leaks raw sewage onto the streets.

Olga Bonfiglio is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and lamancha goat handler at a small dairy farm in southwestern Michigan. She blogs at olgabonfiglio.blogspot.com.

Parish resources for growing a community garden

Practical, hands-on actions are the best way for individuals and faith communities to put their faith into action, says the Michigan Catholic Rural Life Coalition (MCLRC). Here’s how they say to get involved and get growing.

Parish Farmer’s Market:

Olga Bonfiglio is a freelance writer, organic gardener, and lamancha goat handler at a small dairy farm in southwestern Michigan. She blogs at olgabonfiglio.blogspot.com.